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Dr Sue Fleming said that she is feeling ‘absolutely fine’ after receiving Guernsey’s first COVID-19 vaccination.
As Matron of St John’s Residential Home, she is part of the first priority group identified by the JCVI, and many of her staff will be receiving the vaccine over the next few days.
“Obviously we have to plan for our staff to be vaccinated in groups, because we can’t have everybody off, just in case anybody does get any reaction, I have to make sure that I’ve got enough staff there to look after the residents,” she explained.
“But all of my staff have read the evidence, and the majority of them have signed up and some of them will be coming in later.”
Dr Fleming offered some advice to islanders who were feeling apprehensive about receiving the vaccine.
Pictured: Dr Sue Fleming of St John's Residential Home.
“It’s okay to feel anxious, to feel nervous. This is new for everybody,” she said. “But trust in the evidence. Don’t listen to social media."
“If you’ve got any concerns, go and speak to your practitioner, because you can talk about your own health issues, and your risks with the vaccine, and that’s the best thing to do.”
Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink said that the beginning of the programme allows the States to see a ‘roadmap’ for the way forward.
“We’re feeling hopeful and optimistic that we’re actually going to see the end to this pandemic,” she said.
“We’re not sure when that will happen, so we can’t be complacent, we’ve got to keep up with our hand hygiene and our respiratory etiquette. We need to keep up with our caution, however, there is now a roadmap that we can see, there’s hope that we can see the end of this.”
Pictured: The Emma Ferbrache Room of the PEH, which is being used as a vaccination centre for the first priority groups.
Dr Brink took the time to thank the people who have enabled the Bailiwick to be in this position.
“I’m grateful to the public health team, and the two public nurses who have literally worked around the clock to get this programme organised, and that’s Alex Hawkins-Drew and Jo Rocha."
“The programme simply wouldn’t have happened without their incredible hard work.”
CLICK HERE to read more about the Bailiwick’s vaccination programme.
Dr Sue Fleming receives Guernsey's first COVID-19 vaccination from Bailiwick Express on Vimeo.
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